 |
Admin
LLB Datacenter
Last updated
12-05-09 09:07 AM
 
Palmdale Little League
(661) 285-2166
P.O. Box 900732
55th Street East & Avenue R-4
Palmdale, California
93590
|
|
|
|
2005 Big League Softball World Series - District 51 in title game
District 51 in title game
This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press on Friday, August 19, 2005.
By STEVE UNGREY Special to The Valley Press
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The sun broke through the skies above Vanderberg Park about a half hour after Antelope Valley District 51 concluded its semifinal game with Delaware District 3. It was the cap to an enjoyable day for the West Region representatives of the Big League Softball World Series. The sun came out from the clouds and Antelope Valley reached the championship game for the third time in the past decade. Antelope Valley ended Delaware's title hopes by dealing the East Region champions a 5-4 setback in one of the two championship semifinals played Thursday. Antelope Valley will face Charleston, W. Va., in the championship game at 10 a.m. Saturday. Charleston derailed Hallettsville, Tex. 7-2 in the other semifinal, ending the Southwest Region's title bid. "It's a good feeling for us to get back here," said manager Scott Rutledge. "Our hitters were a little bit nervous to start the game but then we started making a lot of contact. Our hitters finally got untracked." Antelope Valley previously won the Big League World Series in 1996 and lost to Michigan District 2, the host program, in the 2000 championship game. The game will be taped and shown on ESPN2 on Monday. Ashley Thomas, who pitched all seven innings to earn the victory, was not about to let her team down. She wanted to be on the third Antelope Valley team to go for a world championship, and she wanted it badly. "I had total confidence in my team," Thomas said. They had confidence in Thomas, too. Antelope Valley overcame four errors on defense to belt out 13 hits, including four doubles, to earn a rematch with the lone team to beat Antelope Valley in the tournament. Charleston won the teams' head-to-head matchup, 2-1, on Wednesday. "To me, it doesn't matter who we play," Rutledge said. "We'd reeled off nine straight wins until we lost that game, so we know we can play good softball against these teams." "The last time we played West Virginia we committed five errors and didn't hit well. The girls are looking forward to this rematch." Thomas struck out two batters and held firm, even as her team shook off a slow start. Delaware scored twice in the first inning to go up 2-0, but Antelope Valley cut that lead in half in the second inning. After Kelsie Blankemeyer walked to start the inning, Johanna Ilejay doubled her home. Delaware went up 3-1, but then Antelope Valley broke open the game. "Ashley did a fantastic job of keeping the ball down and we did a good job of holding down Delaware as the game went on," Rutledge said. After Rebecca Zapata walked and Ilejay singled, Brooke Stix tied the game with a two-run double that scored Ilejay and Zapata. It was the least Stix could do, especially after how she felt the day before following the Antelope Valley loss. "I think we learned an awful lot about ourselves from that game," Stix said. Blankemeyer's fifth-inning double was followed by another double by Zapata, scoring Blankemeyer for a 4-3 lead, and Zapata came home on a grounder. Delaware scored once in the fifth, and then the nailbiting commenced for the final two innings. Would Antelope Valley have enough gas left in the tank to force itself into the title game? "The energy level on our team was high," Stix said. "We wanted this," Zapata added.
|
|
